1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,859 discloses a connector with a housing. Cavities are arranged at upper and lower stages in the housing for accommodating terminal fittings. A retainer mount groove extends in from an upper surface of the housing and penetrates the cavities. A side retainer can be inserted into the retainer mount groove of the housing for directly locking and retaining the terminal fittings in the cavities.
The retainer has a lattice-shaped body defined by upper and lower plates and partitioning walls that connect the upper and lower plates. Thus, a row of through holes penetrates the lattice-shaped body in forward and backward directions. The through holes correspond to the upper cavities of the housing and a space below the lower plate of the retainer body corresponds to the lower cavities of the housing. The retainer is movable between partial and full locking positions. The upper and lower plates are formed with retaining portions that are retracted from the cavities when the retainer is at the partial locking position so that the terminal fittings can be inserted and withdrawn from the cavities. However, the retaining portions are in the cavities when the retainer is at the full locking position to lock the terminal fittings.
Side plates extend down from the opposite left and right sides of the retainer main body and temporary and full holding extend down on front and rear edges of each side plate. The temporary holding arms engage partial locking projections in the retainer mount groove when the retainer reaches the partial locking position, and the full holding arms engage full locking projections in the retainer mount groove when the retainer reaches the full locking position. Thus, the retainer can be held at the respective positions.
The above-described connector requires a clearance between the retainer mount groove and the retainer so that the retainer can be pushed smoothly to the full locking position. A strong force could be exerted on the terminal fittings in a withdrawing direction while the retainer is at the full locking position. Such a force could be exerted, for example, by pulling the wires. This force would push the retaining portions of the retainer back and would urge the retainer towards an oblique incline. However, the lower plate of the lattice-shaped main body will contact the housing at an early stage of the inclination of the retainer, and will limit the inclination to a small degree. The retainer main body could be constructed to include only an upper plate, and in this situation a rearward force on the terminal fittings could incline the retainer more. Areas of engagement of the retaining portions and the terminal fittings decreases as the inclination of the retainer increases, and could cancel the retained state of the terminal fittings. Therefore, a demand for countermeasures exists.
The invention was developed in view of the above situation, and an object thereof is to provide a connector capable of suppressing the inclination of a retainer and reliably holding one or more terminal fittings retained particularly even if cavities are arranged in a row in the connector.